This invention relates in general to the application of coatings to vented brake rotors, and more particularly to the application of a corrosion protection coating to the surfaces defining the vents of the rotors, and still more particularly to the method and apparatus for automatically coating the vents of brake rotors and for precision spraying of the exterior of the rotors.
Heretofore, it has been well known to apply corrosion coatings to brake rotors by using the conventional spray, dip-spin and dip-drain coating processes.
Traditional dip-spin and dip-drain coating processes require immersing the workpiece or part in the coating material, thereafter removing the part from the coating material and either spinning the part to remove the excess material or to allow the part to have the excess material drained from the part. Such processes normally produce non-uniform coating thicknesses, material striations on the rotor""s outer surface area, and pooling of coating material in the vented areas of the rotor. Moreover, different coating thickness variations cannot be uniformly and consistently applied to different surfaces and areas of the rotors.
It is also not possible to economically mask brake rotor surface areas prior to the use of conventional dip drain and dip spin processes.
Accordingly, in order to overcome the coating thickness variations of different areas on the rotors, as well as the pooling of material, it becomes necessary to conduct costly rework operations such as a secondary operation to grit blast material from these areas after the part is coated to remove material from areas not desired to be coated. Moreover, the coating problems occurring with the dip-spin and dip-drain processes often interferes with corrosion performance and operational functionality of the brake rotors. Additionally, the brake rotor appearance or aesthetics are adversely affected.
Conventional spray processes do not have the capability to assure complete and uniform material coverage with the vented areas of a vented brake rotor which ultimately materially affects the corrosion protection effectiveness. Vented brake rotors often include forged and complex inside surface area configurations which do not easily retain the coating material used in conventional spray processes. Further, traditional air, airless and electrostatic spray processes do not have the ability to apply coating material to all of the rotor""s vented upper, lower and side surfaces. Thus, traditional spray processes do not assure that the brake rotor manufacturer""s corrosion protection requirements for the vented areas can be satisfied. Also, required functional performances cannot often be satisfied.
Further, conventional spray processes utilizing complex spray gun and nozzle configurations are unable to satisfactorily vary the coating thicknesses on different surfaces of the rotors.
Accordingly, conventional spray, dip drain and dip spin processes are unable to provide a cost effective high quality coating for vented brake rotors, and particularly they have failed to satisfy the increasing corrosion and aesthetic requirements of the automobile manufacturers.
The method and apparatus of the present invention overcomes problems in the prior known coating processes for brake rotors by uniformly coating surfaces of vented brake rotors and also providing different coating thicknesses for different areas without immersing the rotor into a coating material bath. The vent flooder and precision spray process of the present invention can produce different coating thicknesses in the rotor""s vented areas, on its parking brake surfaces, on its hat areas, and other areas as required by the specifications of various manufacturers. The process of the present invention eliminates the production of material striations on the outer surface areas and the pooling of material within the rotor vented area, thereby improving the operational functionality of the rotor. The process of the present invention eliminates the need to utilize costly and ineffective secondary operations in order to meet the coating specifications of the manufacturers.
Further, the present invention, by providing uniform material coverage of the surfaces in the vents of a vented brake rotor, increases the corrosion protection of those vents. The process of the present invention employs several uniquely developed components to insure coating thickness variations that can be precisely maintained on different outside part surface areas to meet the manufacturer""s process control specifications. The inherent performance and quality problems created by the conventional processes heretofore used are eliminated by the present invention.
Although the automatic vent flooding and precision spray system of the present invention is herein disclosed for the coating of surfaces of a vented brake rotor, it can be appreciated that the system may be used for a coating of other metal workpieces, particularly where the workpiece would include circumferentially arranged and substantially radially extending passageways desired to be coated with a suitable corrosion-inhibiting material.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for coating the various surfaces of vented brake rotors or other workpieces.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for automatic flooding of vents in a vented brake rotor for applying a uniform coating thickness to the surfaces of the vents, while also recovering or reclaiming all excess materials not adhering to the vent surfaces.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved process for applying corrosion protection to a vented brake rotor without immersing the brake rotor into a coating material.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a manual or automatic method and apparatus for coating various surfaces of a vented brake rotor to provide a coated brake rotor with improved aesthetics corrosion performance and operational functionality.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an improved process for providing different coating thicknesses on a vented brake rotor.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts.